ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Early identification of patients at high risk of severe disease requiring referral and treatment at a high-care facility is imperative in the management of COVID-19 pneumonia in a limited-resource setting, as transfer of unstable patients can be detrimental. OBJECTIVES: To examine the value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) calculated on admission to a healthcare facility as a predictor of the need for early referral to a high-care facility for further treatment. METHODS: We designed a cohort analytical study of 198 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to the COVID-19 unit at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, between 20 May and 30 September 2021. RESULTS: Of the 198 patients enrolled in the study, 134 (67.7%) were admitted to high care and 93 (46.9%) died. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) NLR measured on admission to the hospital was 8.09 (4.90 - 14.86), and the NLR ranged from 0.26 to 136.7. The admission NLR was statistically significantly higher in the high-care group v. the general ward group (p<0.001). After converting the NLR to log scale, to bring it closer to conditional normality, logistic regression analysis identified log NLR (odds ratio (OR) 4.089; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.464 - 6.787; p<0.001) and age (OR 1.029; 95% CI 1.004 - 1.056; p=0.024) as significant in determining who will require high care. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the combined model of NLR and age was 0.829 (95% CI 0.767 - 0.891). An NLR cut-off value of 7.5 (sensitivity 0.7462, specificity 0.7968) has been calculated as the optimal cut-off value to determine who will need high care. Admission log NLR and age were significant in determining who died (OR 2.067; 95% CI 1.404 - 3.045; p<0.001, and OR 1.043; 95% CI 1.018 - 1.068; p=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The NLR measured on admission and age can be used to predict whether a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia will require high care.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Neutrophils , Humans , COVID-19/therapy , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , South Africa/epidemiology , Lymphocytes , ROC Curve , Referral and ConsultationABSTRACT
Before making a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is imperative that alternative diagnoses are considered and excluded. This is particularly important in South Africa, which is a moderate prevalence MS area, has a high burden of neurological infections and where the majority of the people are black - an ethnic group that has a very low frequency of MS. Before applying diagnostic criteria, there should be no better explanation for the patient's presentation. This guideline, written on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Africa, aims to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of MS in Southern Africa.
Subject(s)
Black People , Multiple Sclerosis/diagnosis , Multiple Sclerosis/therapy , Africa, Southern/epidemiology , Decision Trees , Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological , Humans , Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use , Interferon-beta/therapeutic use , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Multiple Sclerosis/epidemiologySubject(s)
Rhinoplasty/methods , Suture Techniques , Humans , Mohs Surgery/rehabilitation , Nose Neoplasms/surgeryABSTRACT
A 53-year-old woman was seen for arthralgias, fever, and a painful rash developing at the end of a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin for a urinary tract infection. Her only other medication was naproxen, which was started after the onset of symptoms. Initial biopsy showed microscopic changes suggestive of a toxic eruption, but within 3 days the clinical signs and symptoms typical of Sweet's syndrome evolved. A repeat biopsy showed microscopic features characteristic of that diagnosis. The patient subsequently cleared with prednisone therapy. We report this patient as a case consistent with drug-induced Sweet's syndrome induced by nitrofurantoin.
